With the rapid development of technology today, information reaches us very quickly. Both good and bad news promptly flood our devices. Our hearts grow uneasy when we receive bad news, especially when it touches our sense of humanity. One example is reports about children abandoned by their parents—whether because the pregnancy was unwanted, economic pressure, emotional problems, or other reasons. There was a story circulating on social media about a baby less than a week old found in the bushes by the roadside in Sumatra with not a scrap of cloth on its body. News about neglected children always makes us wonder how any parent could be callous enough to do that to a small, helpless human being.
However, whether we realize it or not, even if we do not abandon children in such extreme ways, we often fail to value a child’s soul. This shows up in simple gestures, like leaving a child with their device so we don’t have to be bothered with interacting and playing with them. In certain situations—say, a single parent who must work—there may be no choice but to let a child spend more time on a screen, especially if no one can help with the household. Such difficult situations can be understood because of their complexity. Nevertheless, busyness should not be an excuse to leave a child with a device without supervision and clear limits. Nothing can replace a parent’s role and presence. Only parents who love God can shape a child’s soul.
In the Bible, we find a synagogue leader named Jairus. Matthew 9:18–19 tells us that Jairus was deeply distressed because his daughter was at the point of death. Luke 8:41–42 even explains that the child was Jairus’s only daughter, twelve years old. In despair, Jairus came to Jesus to plead for mercy to have his daughter healed. In Matthew’s account, the child is regarded as already dead, and Jesus is asked to raise her. Jesus’ response to Jairus’s plea is striking. Verse 19 depicts Jesus immediately rising and going to Jairus’s house to see his daughter. Matthew records no long dialogue from Jesus in this version. This emphasizes Jesus’ personal care for a child’s soul. Without delay, He set out as quickly as possible toward the child. He knew His presence was awaited and irreplaceable.
Jesus’ attitude should be our attitude as caregivers. “Parents” here refers not only to biological parents but to all of us around children. We are the “parents” they trust and imitate. They truly long for our presence as people who bring God’s face to them. If we postpone being present with them, the world with all its attractions will gladly rush toward them through various screen content. Jesus gives us an example of promptness in drawing them away from the darkness of death’s domain.
It is not easy to interact with a child, especially a little one. Interacting with them can drain our “mental battery.” If the child is active, our physical energy is drawn as well. Yet no one who loves God and succeeds in life becomes so overnight. Our children cannot succeed spiritually or physically without the help of the adults around them. What we do for each child is an investment in their future. We will reap that investment sooner or later. Therefore, let us be careful about what we invest in a child’s life. Do not invest only money and material comforts while failing to invest in God in their lives.